


Noises

by carolc24



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Misophonia, a day in the life for sound sensitive papyrus, angsty maybe?, sound sensitivity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 12:42:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7892671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carolc24/pseuds/carolc24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Papyrus goes to the grocery store, and recovers afterwards.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Noises

All Papyrus had on his agenda was grocery shopping, which meant he could spend the rest of the day at home and recharge if he needed to. Odds are he would have the energy to see Undyne. She had been so busy lately, it would be nice to spend time with her again. Maybe they could try something from one of the Queen’s recipe books, or watch TV with Alphys, or just talk and enjoy each other’s company.

If it turned out to be a bad day, that might not be a possibility. The really bad days would leave Papyrus so drained that he could barely face leaving his room, let alone talking to another monster for extended periods of time. Anyway, he wouldn’t want Undyne to see him in that state. All jumpy, and unable to focus, and getting teary-eyed at small things that don’t matter. It was embarrassing, really. So he would spend the evening alone if things got hairy, and they would have to hang out some other time. That was fine.

Grocery stores were still a bit difficult to navigate. The surface variants were much more uniformly laid out than the maze-like market in New Home, but they were also large, and bright, and full of weird temperatures and smells and sounds. It all left Papyrus feeling a little disoriented. But he knew where to find everything on the list, which wasn’t particularly long, so maybe he could be out of there quickly.

Getting the items wasn’t an issue. He wove through the aisles, taking boxes and cans off the shelves, referencing the list often, and checked everything off the list without getting lost. He hadn’t needed to put on headphones, which was nice, because it meant he could listen to the human songs that played on the store’s radio, and people wouldn’t give him as many funny looks.

The checkout line was a different affair. The store was busier than usual, and there weren’t many cashiers available, so there were lines of four or five people each, all with full carts of groceries. Grimacing slightly, Papyrus chose the line closest to him and started waiting. He mentally prepared himself in case the humans in front of him turned out to be the type who would set him off. It wouldn’t be so bad, he could just move to another line, he probably wouldn’t even react that much. But the idea was still unpleasant.

The human in front of Papyrus was putting her groceries on the conveyor belt when he heard it. A short sniffing noise, like someone was trying to breathe with a clogged nose. It was faint enough that it could have been something else, like a shopping cart rattling or the crinkling of plastic bags. But it was enough make Papyrus’s head snap up, looking for the source of the noise.

At first, he couldn’t find anything, and right when he allowed himself to relax, he heard it again. This time, it was unmistakeable as somebody sniffling. Papyrus’s fists clenched involuntarily. He took several deep breaths, trying to ground himself, then realized the conveyor belt was empty and focused on stacking boxes of pasta and cereal onto it.

Just ignore it. It’s not a big deal. You can-

*sniff*

He gasped in air, and forced it out again. Clenched and unclenched his fists. Tapped his foot on the floor, listening to the soft, repetitive sounds of rubber on tile. Tried not to let the offending noise play through his mind again.

“How are you today, sir?”

He couldn’t form a response, but he smiled weakly at the cashier and hurried to pay for the food-

*sniff*

He could _see_ the cashier’s face moving now, and the noise was so loud, so much louder than everything else. He jammed the credit card into the chip reader, could feel it bend slightly under the pressure. The threat of snapping a credit card in two scared him enough to make himself relax, a little. He focused on his breathing.

Why were there so many steps to paying for groceries? He just wanted to get out of there, quickly, before he completely lost control-

*sniff*

Before he could even process the noise, his fingers were scratching at his skull. He was pretty sure the people in line behind him were giving him odd looks by now. But it was okay, because the cashier was handing him his bags, and he could finally leave. He rushed out of the store, through the parking lot, and into the car, slamming the door behind him and putting on his headphones before he could think.

Once his music started playing, he could feel his body and mind relaxing. It would be a while before his hearing stopped being quite as sensitive, and he stopped feeling like he was one second away from imploding. But the music was calming in its familiarity, the way it drowned out the sound of Papyrus’s fingers tapping at the steering wheel.

After a few minutes, he felt ready to drive. Before starting the car, he texted Undyne, telling her that he wouldn’t be ready to hang out for a few more hours. If he spent those hours in the quiet, or listening to music, then he should be fine. He knew his limits.

He could do this.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a couple weeks ago and realized I never posted it on here. It's pretty self indulgent, but I want to see more depictions of misophonia in fanfiction honestly, so here's my contribution.


End file.
